Cal Poly Universities’ Rose Float Wins Past President Award

“Dreams Take Flight” has won the Past Presidents’ trophy, honoring the most outstanding innovation in the use of floral and non floral materials.

“Dreams Take Flight,” the Cal Poly Universities’ 2018 Rose Float, wins the Past President Award in the 129th Rose Parade on Jan. 1.

The Past President Trophy honors the most outstanding innovation in the use of floral and non-floral materials. The Cal Poly Universities’ float is the only entry that is designed and built entirely by students.

Covered in more than 42,000 fresh flowers, the 54-foot long float features three young animals flying high above twinkling stars and puffy clouds at sunrise.

Paula the koala, covered in buffalo grass, led the way in her bright orange biplane. Ollie the otter skimmed the clouds in his yellow seaplane, and Rusty the red panda soared 20 feet above the crowd emitting a contrail from his green plane.

Ollie’s fur was created from a layer of sheet moss topped with ground coffee. Rusty’s fur is gorilla hair or shredded redwood bark.

Covering the pod are approximately 10,000 roses, 10,000 gerbera daisies and 1,200 head of kale, creating a gradient from yellow in the front to pink and then purple in the back.

About the Author

Cynthia Peters is a senior communications specialist at Cal Poly Pomona. With a focus on communications and marketing, she handles promotion for university initiatives and major events, writes for university publications and is the media relations contact for the College of Environmental Design.